The film Raw follows the unsettling coming-of-age journey of Justine, a brilliant and sheltered young girl who has been raised in a strict vegetarian family. When she enters veterinary school, the same school her older sister Alexia attends, she expects to face academic pressure and social challenges. What she doesn’t expect, however, is a brutal hazing ritual that forces all first-year students to consume raw meat. For Justine, who has never eaten meat in her life, this moment becomes the trigger for a disturbing transformation she cannot control.
After the initiation, Justine begins experiencing strange physical and psychological changes. Her skin develops rashes, her senses sharpen unnaturally, and she grows increasingly hungry in ways that feel foreign to her. At first, she tries to rationalize the sensations as stress or illness brought on by the chaos of university life. But soon, the cravings intensify, and she finds herself drawn to the taste of meat—first animal, then, horrifyingly, human. This shift marks the start of her internal battle between identity and instinct.
As Justine struggles with her new impulses, her relationship with Alexia becomes increasingly strained. Although Alexia appears confident and rebellious, she hides her own dark secrets. Justine slowly realizes that the changes she experiences are not random but connected to her family’s history. Her sister’s reckless behavior and cryptic warnings begin to make sense, revealing that their similarities go far deeper than shared blood. Their bond turns volatile, swinging between rivalry, support, and fear.
Life at the veterinary school grows more chaotic as Justine’s cravings push her into dangerous situations. She becomes entangled in violent outbursts, strained friendships, and moments she cannot explain or remember. Her friendship with Adrien, her roommate, provides brief comfort, but even that becomes complicated as her urges threaten his safety. The more she tries to maintain control, the more she risks losing herself entirely.
The film builds tension through the contrast between Justine’s innocence and the monstrous hunger growing inside her. Surrounded by pressures to fit in, to experiment, and to discover her identity, she confronts the terrifying possibility that her true nature may be something she never imagined. Her conflict becomes not only about survival but about understanding who she is beyond instinct.
As Raw reaches its climax, shocking revelations about Justine’s family shed light on the origins of her transformation. The truth forces her to confront the legacy she has inherited and decide whether she will succumb to it or fight against it. The film closes on a haunting note, reminding viewers that identity is often shaped by forces far beyond our control, and the struggle to define oneself can be both painful and deeply human.
